Calle Ocho for Brunch?

Want to take my father in law for brunch for a significant birthday. How is the food and service? Does it get very crowded..do you have to wait a while even with a reservation? Let me know about your experience.

If it's the Cuban place I'm thinking of in NYC...go for dinner if you can. The scene is pretty spectacular. I had to wait 15 minutes with a reservation on a Thursday night, but there were 20 of us. Everything was delicious. It brought out my adventurous side; I normally don't eat seafood but I was deilghted by the lobster empanadas and the fried calamari. So good.

The room is certainly impressive, however the food really just didn't do it for me. I had a yucca crab cake that was gluey and a little bland. My friend has a paella made with glutinous rice which was okay but not what she was hoping for. The only real draw for us was the sangria bar which has kept us talking about possibly going back for a second visit. In the long run, however, we've opted for other locales as the neighborhood has plenty of better brunches.